document_title: Bond length

question_text: the carbon carbon bond length in benzene is

text: Bond length

text: Explanation[edit]

text: Bond length is related to bond order: when more electrons participate in bond formation the bond is shorter. Bond length is also inversely related to bond strength and the bond dissociation energy: all other factors being equal, a stronger bond will be shorter. In a bond between two identical atoms, half the bond distance is equal to the covalent radius.

text: Bond lengths are measured in the solid phase by means of X-ray diffraction, or approximated in the gas phase by microwave spectroscopy. A bond between a given pair of atoms may vary between different molecules. For example, the carbon to hydrogen bonds in methane are different from those in methyl chloride. It is however possible to make generalizations when the general structure is the same.

text: Bond lengths of carbon with other elements[edit]

text: A table with experimental single bonds for carbon to other elements[1] is given below. Bond lengths are given in picometers. By approximation the bond distance between two different atoms is the sum of the individual covalent radii (these are given in the chemical element articles for each element). As a general trend, bond distances decrease across the row in the periodic table and increase down a group. This trend is identical to that of the atomic radius.

text:
Bond distance of carbon to other elements[1]

Bonded element
Bond length (pm)
Group

H
106–112
group 1

Be
193
group 2

Mg
207
group 2

B
156
group 13

Al
224
group 13

In
216
group 13

C
120–154
group 14

Si
186
group 14

Sn
214
group 14

Pb
229
group 14

N
147–210
group 15

P
187
group 15

As
198
group 15

Sb
220
group 15

Bi
230
group 15

O
143–215
group 16

S
181–255
group 16

Cr
192
group 6

Se
198–271
group 16

Te
205
group 16

Mo
208
group 6

W
206
group 6

F
134
group 17

Cl
176
group 17

Br
193
group 17

I
213
group 17

text: Bond lengths in organic compounds[edit]

text: The bond length between two atoms in a molecule depends not only on the atoms but also on such factors as the orbital hybridization and the electronic and steric nature of the substituents. The carbon–carbon (C–C) bond length in diamond is 154 pm, which is also the largest bond length that exists for ordinary carbon covalent bonds. Since one atomic unit of length(i.e., a Bohr radius) is 52.9177 pm, the C–C bond length is 2.91 atomic units, or approximately three  Bohr radii long.

text: Unusually long bond lengths do exist. In one compound, tricyclobutabenzene, a bond length of 160 pm is reported. The current record holder is another cyclobutabenzene with length 174 pm based on X-ray crystallography.[2] In this type of compound the cyclobutane ring would force 90° angles on the carbon atoms connected to the benzene ring where they ordinarily have angles of 120°.

text: The existence of a very long C–C bond length of up to 290 pm is claimed in a dimer of two tetracyanoethylene dianions, although this concerns a 2-electron-4-center bond.[3][4] This type of bonding has also been observed in neutral phenalenyl dimers. The bond lengths of these so-called "pancake bonds"[5] are up to 305 pm.

text: Shorter than average C–C bond distances are also possible: alkenes and alkynes have bond lengths of respectively 133 and 120 pm due to increased s-character of the sigma bond. In benzene all bonds have the same length: 139 pm. Carbon–carbon single bonds increased s-character is also notable in the central bond of diacetylene (137 pm) and that of a certain tetrahedrane dimer (144 pm).

text: In propionitrile the cyano group withdraws electrons, also resulting in a reduced bond length (144 pm). Squeezing a C–C bond is also possible by application of strain. An unusual organic compound exists called In-methylcyclophane with a very short bond distance of 147 pm for the methyl group being squeezed between a triptycene and a phenyl group. In an in silico experiment a bond distance of 136 pm was estimated for neopentane locked up in fullerene.[6] The smallest theoretical C–C single bond obtained in this study is 131 pm for a hypothetical tetrahedrane derivative.[7]

text: The same study also estimated that stretching or squeezing the C–C bond in an ethane molecule by 5 pm required 2.8 or 3.5 kJ/mol, respectively. Stretching or squeezing the same bond by 15 pm required an estimated 21.9 or 37.7 kJ/mol.

text:
Bond lengths in organic compounds[8]

C–H
Length (pm)
C–C
Length (pm)
Multiple-bonds
Length (pm)

sp3–H
110
sp3–sp3
154
Benzene
140

sp2–H
109
sp3–sp2
150
Alkene
134

sp–H
108
sp2–sp2
147
Alkyne
120

sp3–sp
146
Allene
130

sp2–sp
143

sp–sp
137


document_title: Cristina Yang

question_text: who is the father of christina yangs baby

root

text: Cristina Yang

text: Storylines and character[edit]

text: Cristina Yang is introduced as a graduate from Smith College and a fellow surgical intern to Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl), George O'Malley (T.R. Knight), and Alex Karev (Justin Chambers); the five of them working under Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson). An atheistic competitive intern of Korean-American ancestry, she first desired to become a doctor after a childhood car accident which killed her biological father. Yang also suffers from dyslexia, and was raised in Beverly Hills, California by her mother and supportive Jewish stepfather. She has BA from Smith College, an MD from Stanford University and a PhD from University of California, Berkeley, making her a "double doctor". While her emotional pragmatism, competitive perfectionism, and logical nature lead many to view her as a cutthroat "robot", Cristina hits it off with Meredith on their first day and the pair soon become best friends and each other's "person", sharing the same "dark and twisty" sense of humor.

tag: p

text: During her internship, Cristina has an on-off relationship with the chief of cardiothoracic surgery Preston Burke (Isaiah Washington) that leads to an accidental pregnancy. Yang schedules an abortion without telling him about the pregnancy due to Burke's behavior towards their lack of relationship status. However, Yang experiences an ectopic pregnancy and Burke discovers the pregnancy after Yang collapses from a burst fallopian tube. Burke and Yang begin a relationship in the aftermath of her miscarriage. After Burke is shot in the arm and develops a hand tremor, Yang helps him cover it up by developing a covert partnership wherein she performs most of his surgeries. Yang initially denies involvement during a confrontation, but then confesses everything to Richard Webber (James Pickens, Jr.), the chief of surgery. Yang's actions jeopardize Burke's chances of becoming chief, which he sees as a huge betrayal. After a short breakup, Yang breaks the silence and Burke proposes marriage, which Yang accepts after eight days of hesitation. Burke calls off the wedding, leaving Yang at the altar. She goes on her honeymoon to Hawaii with Meredith to recover, returning to discover that Burke has disappeared from her life and transferred to a different hospital.

text: Burke is replaced by Erica Hahn (Brooke Smith), who immediately dislikes Yang for her trend of having affairs with famous surgeons, such as Burke, going so far as refusing to let her scrub in on cardiac surgeries. Eventually, Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez) moves in with Yang, and she still tries to earn Hahn's approval. Hahn reveals that she dislikes Yang because she reminds her of an early version of herself and continues to cut Yang out of cardio surgeries and neglects to teach her, before eventually quitting the hospital and leaving Seattle Grace without a head of cardio.  Without a teacher, Yang begins to seriously doubt the purpose of remaining in her place at Seattle Grace when the program falls to twelfth on a list of the best teaching hospitals, and Burke wins the Harper-Avery award without mentioning her at all, despite her saving his career. Yang tells the Chief that her current existence in the hospital is "unbearable" and that she has turned into a ghost.

text: Yang meets Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd), an army trauma surgeon, when he patches her up from being stabbed in the stomach by a falling icicle. The pair are immediately attracted to each other and share a brief kiss. After Owen Hunt is honorably discharged, he is hired as Seattle Grace's chief of trauma surgery and he and Yang begin a flirtation. Yang grows emotionally when she decides to support Meredith in her relationship with Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey), despite her logical misgivings about their staying power, and begins to be more emotionally open towards Hunt. However, Hunt has repressed memories of his time in Iraq and PTSD which causes Hunt to behave erratically, and attack and strangle her while asleep. Yang attempts to be emotionally supportive, but ends their relationship as she is afraid of sleeping next to him. Cristina loses her shot at being the first resident to perform a solo surgery despite being unanimously chosen by the attending surgeons, having been disciplined from failing to report the irresponsible behavior of the new interns. Meredith and Cristina have a fight during the intern scandal, and Cristina chooses Alex to be her replacement. They eventually reconcile. When Izzie Stevens discovers her life-threatening cancer, Yang is the one she confides in over her other friends due to Yang's ability to remain emotionally distant. Yang saves Izzie's life by coming up with a treatment plan and forcing Izzie to tell their friends of her diagnosis. Hunt begins seeing a therapist, and Yang confesses her love for him. The pair begin a tentative relationship, hampered by Hunt's therapeutic progress and his hot and cold professional behavior, wherein he frequently ignores or penalizes Yang to avoid the appearance of favoritism.

text: Hunt hires ex-colleague from the Army, Teddy Altman (Kim Raver), to become the chief of cardio-thoracic surgery as a "gift" for Yang, after she breaks down over having no new head of cardio. Yang is unimpressed with Altman, neither published nor famous, but her calm proficiency and belief in Yang's skills win her over. A conflict arises in the trio due to Altman and Hunt's repressed feelings for each other. Altman chooses to resign her place as temporary head of cardio because of her feelings for Hunt. Devastated by the blow to her education and the depressing potential of returning to her previous directionless state, Yang begs Altman to stay and teach her, offering Hunt to Altman in exchange. Altman intellectually understands Yang choosing her gift over a man and their relationship is repaired, but Hunt is very hurt that Yang would trade him away. Hunt subconsciously tries to sabotage Yang's education and the two break up again after Hunt is unable to decide between the two women. Cristina saves Derek's life with a gun to her head after he is shot by Gary Clarke, a grieving widow who commits mass murder at the hospital. Hunt is injured by the same shooter after he chooses to return for Yang over Altman, and Grey treats him as Yang saves Grey's husband. Following the attack on the hospital, Hunt and Yang impulsively decide to get married. Yang is suffering from severe PTSD and is unable to bear being alone, making marriage to Hunt, who understands what she's going through, attractive. Yang spends the early days of her marriage in shock and hiding at Meredith's.

text: Due to having severe PTSD and being unable to do her job correctly anymore, Cristina quits and begins bartending and eventually throws a housewarming party. Derek helps Cristina emotionally and she ultimately decides to go to work after helping the victim of a school shooting. Yang discovers she is pregnant with Hunt's child, and decides to get an abortion. Though Hunt accompanies her to the abortion, he is extremely angry with her decision. Yang then operates on Henry Burton (Scott Foley), Altman's husband, unknown of his identity. When the surgery fails and he dies, Yang is guilt stricken upon learning of her patient's identity. Altman forgives Yang and forces Yang to realize that she did everything possible. Altman's mentorship of Yang is punishing at times, and Altman brutally emphasizes that Yang must learn patience, compassion, and the basics over the flashy surgeries Yang prefers. Altman's tutelage is successful, and Yang evolves into an aware and well-rounded surgeon because of it. Altman allows Yang to come up with a wish list of dream surgeries to fulfill before Altman resigns and moves on.

text: Yang and Hunt distance themselves from each other as they keep fighting over the abortion, despite attending marriage counselling. Hunt has a one-night stand with a patient's friend, leaving Yang heartbroken. She decides to move on, unsure of her future with him. As the end of the fifth year of residency is near, the surgical residents, including Yang, prepare for their medical boards and for the different fellowships they plan on joining. After she passes her exams, Yang reconciles with Hunt and tells him she is leaving Seattle for the Mayo Clinic, Minnesota. Afterward, Yang, Meredith, Shepherd, Arizona Robbins (Jessica Capshaw), Mark Sloan (Eric Dane), and Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh) are involved in an aviation accident while on the way to Boise, Idaho to perform surgery on conjoined twins. Lexie dies, and Mark later succumbs to his injuries after they are rescued and dies. Following their rescue, Yang, traumatized, suffers from brief reactive psychosis which provokes violent outbursts and makes her unresponsive. Yang leaves Seattle to become a cardiothoracic surgical fellow and goes, as planned, to the Mayo Clinic, but has difficulties adapting to her new colleagues' way of working. While in Minnesota, Yang develops a friendship with a near-retirement cardio surgeon, Craig Thomas (William Daniels). She mainly teases him with comments regarding his old age. She also begins an affair with the head of surgery Dr. Parker (Steven Culp) who has issues with Thomas. After Thomas dies from a heart attack, Yang returns to Seattle.

text: Cristina is re-hired and Owen asks for a divorce once Cristina wants to reconcile. Shocked, Cristina agrees, but later finds out that the potential conflict of interest regarding the plane crash lawsuit was a key motive behind Owen's request and confronts him. Owen tells her that he 'feels responsible' and was worried as he thought she was dead. They have a sexual relationship after divorcing. The hospital is sued and found guilty of negligence. The surviving doctors, including Yang, must receive $15 million of compensation each, which leads the hospital to a near bankruptcy as the insurers refuse to pay. Yang, Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez), and the other surviving doctors buy the hospital with the help of the Harper-Avery Foundation to prevent it from closing, and each become members of the new directing board. After buying the hospital, Yang realizes that she was made for the O.R. and breaks things off with Owen because he still wants kids and she still doesn't.

text: After breaking up with Owen, Cristina continues to excel at surgery and becomes de facto chief of cardio. Although supportive of Meredith's choice to become a mother, Cristina points out the fact that it has hurt Meredith's career and clinical judgement. This causes a wedge in their friendship. Grey attempts to catch up professionally with a research trial, but the divide widens when Cristina's trial overshadows Grey's and steals Grey's resources. When Dr. Shane Ross, a second-year resident, stands up to Meredith for her, Cristina gives Shane a kiss. Later, she begins sleeping with him, as well as becoming his mentor and passing on the skills learned from Altman. Cristina's project is immensely successful and she is informed that she could be considered for the Harper Avery award from her 3-D printing of a heart conduit. Grey and Yang reconcile when Grey acknowledges that Yang is correct, she has surpassed Grey, and that Grey is jealous of Yang's professional freedom and success, while her own is hampered by her family.

text: Cristina is nominated for the Harper Avery award and is a strong candidate, however she is passed over due to her relationship with the Harper-Avery Foundation that co-owns the hospital. Cristina goes to speak at a hospital in Zurich, Switzerland, orchestrated by Preston Burke who built his own hospital following his winning of the Harper Avery. He offers Cristina his job as the head of the hospital so that he can spend more time with his wife and kids.

text: Cristina accepts the offer and interviews candidates for her replacement position at the hospital, including Maggie Pierce for new chief of cardio. Cristina transfers her hospital shares to Alex Karev and recommends he take over her seat on the board.

text: At the end of season 10, she says goodbye to her fellow co-workers she has come to know and love including Owen and Meredith. Cristina and Meredith share special moments together reminiscing about all the horrors they went through and dancing it out one last time. Cristina leaves for Zurich with surgical intern Shane Ross, who chooses to leave in order to study under her in Switzerland.

text: Development[edit]

text: Casting and creation[edit]

text: On the creation of Yang, Shonda Rhimes said the character contained "a little bit of [her] personality".[2] Speaking with talk show host Oprah Winfrey, Rhimes said: "Cristina was second, simply because she's the kind of woman I know really well, and I like her. There's something interesting about a person who is that driven, a little bit emotionally disconnected but still a caring, sweet, and smart individual you could be friends with."[3] Sandra Oh, initially auditioned for the character of Bailey, adding: "Thank God I did not get that part", explaining the show would not be the same without fellow cast member, Wilson.[4] Discussing casting Oh as Yang, Rhimes said: "She brought this energy that felt very fresh. From the beginning, I've been shaping Cristina around Sandra a little bit. One of my favorite things to do is take as much of her dialogue out of a scene as possible because she does so much nonverbally. Then I just watch what she manages to do without having a word to say."[2]

text: The character of Yang was not originally supposed to be of Asian descent. Oh said her character was "a pert little blonde and the thing is the woman who runs the show, Shonda Rhimes, is a black woman, which makes a big [expletive] difference."[5] In 2009, when asked why Oh signed on for Grey's Anatomy, Oh said:

text: Characterization[edit]

text: The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) characterized Yang as "competitive", "ambitious", and "intelligent", while also noting her weaknesses: "bossy", "aggressive", and "tactless".[8] Oh said of her character: "I've always tried to play Cristina with a tremendous amount of focus and ambition—which is the reality for a female surgeon. I mean, in real life there aren't many of them. But the ones you encounter are at the very top of their game. You have to have a kind of ascetic personality to survive."[9] James Pickens, Jr. who portrays Dr. Webber said: "That character itself set a bar in terms of how we look at millennial women: independent yet vulnerable, seriously competitive yet caring."[10] Rhimes referred to Yang's relationship with Burke by the portmanteau "Burktina", citing "Losing My Religion" as one of her favorite episodes featuring them because it shows their evolution from the beginning of the second season to its end.[11]

text: Rhimes commented, "[We see] her struggle to suppress all of her humanity in pursuit of perfection. And in my mind, what we realize is that she is not cold. She is terrified. Scared that if she lets her emotions out, they will overtake her and she will be hurt. And you can’t hate her. Because it's so incredibly human and understandable."[11] Yang's friendship with Meredith has been looked upon as "sisterhood", and Yang has repeatedly referred to the former as "her person". This led to the two being dubbed "the twisted sisters". At the conclusion of season three, the duo went on a "honeymoon" together, and Rhimes called it her favorite detail of the finale.[12]

text: New York magazine wrote of the character: "There's probably no woman on TV right now more single-mindedly dedicated to her career than Cristina. It has long been her defining characteristic. If it occasionally makes her into a caricature, it has also unquestionably established that she would have an abortion in this circumstance."[13] Talking about Yang's abortion in the eighth season, Rhimes explained she intended Yang to have an abortion already in the second season but changed it with an ectopic pregnancy at the suggestion of one of her writers because  "that was so much more interesting, story-wise". As for the abortion in the eighth season, Rhimes commented: "I really wanted Cristina Yang to stay true to who Cristina Yang is. And I feel like that is a character who has never really wanted to be a mother. The idea that this woman would have a child that she did not want and resented for ruining her career and resented Owen for making her have [it] would have been hideous. [The abortion] made sense for the character."[14]

text: Discussing his onscreen relationship with Yang, McKidd said: "It's not going to be easy for them. What I read when I read the season premiere, and this is just my take on it, is that it was very much two very analytical people, Owen and Cristina. They're very similar in a way, I think, as people. Two analytical people see each other over a crowded ER room and their eyes meet."[15] On the topic of Yang's triumphs and challenges in the eighth season, Oh said: "It has been an extremely challenging year that has had a lot of ups and downs, both challenging and exhilarating. We would shoot all our scenes for a day or two straight, and that was extremely challenging because emotionally and physically it becomes really exhausting."[16]

text: Oh said of Yang's expressions of emotions during season eight: "You see her express her emotions with only two people: her best friend Meredith and her husband Owen. To see someone being pulled apart so intensely, which honestly most everyone goes through in their life in some ways, if you're lucky you're completely pulled apart and then you have to pull yourself together, which hopefully will be the exploration within hopefully the next season."[16] Although the characters' marriage is tested, McKidd reported to The Hollywood Reporter: "I think they're meant for each other. I hold out faith in Cristina and Owen, even though they go to the darkest places out of all the couples on the show. It's going to get worse but it's going to get better soon."[17]

text: Reception[edit]

text: Reviews[edit]

text: The character was well received by the critics at the time of its inception and as the series  went on the reviews became increasingly positive and Cristina went on the become an iconic character not just for Grey's but for television itself. Kelli Catana of The Huffington Post named Yang "the best damn character" of the series.[18] Yang appeared in Comcast's list of TV's Most Intriguing Characters, with the website commenting that she is "an engaging yet comedic factor for the prime-time soap Grey's Anatomy."[19] Philadelphia Magazine included Yang in its list of the "10 Best Doctors on Television".[20] However, the same periodical listed her as one of "The 12 Most Annoying Women on TV".[21] Mark Perigard of the Boston Herald considers her friendship with Meredith to be "the secret core of Grey's and perhaps creator Shonda Rhimes' greatest contribution to prime time."[22] The Huffington Post's writer Kelli Catana agreed, saying: "the Meredith/Yang relationship is probably the most true friendship on network television."[18] Their friendship was listed in AOL TV's "Top 20: TV's Best BFFs" and in Entertainment Weekly's "30 Best TV Bromances/Gal Pals".[23][24] Yahoo! Voices also put Yang on their list of "The Most Loyal TV Best Friends of All Time".[25] Television Without Pity writer Lauren Shotwell claimed Yang is "the only one of these five [residents] that regularly acts like an actual doctor".[26]

text: Yang's relationship with Burke was positively received; it was considered as "one of the most interesting relationships on the show".[27] Similarly, The Orange County Register wrote that their romance became "one of the most touching and funny attractions of Grey's Anatomy."[28] Christopher Monfette of IGN was critical of their wedding planning in the third season, saying: "The will-they's and won't-they's fly and fall like hobbled pigeons until the season finale when the show solves both its personal and professional problems in the most obvious and least compelling of ways."[29] UGO.com placed their break-up on its list of the most horrible TV breakups.[30] In 2009, Monfette said of Yang's relationship with Owen: "[Hunt's] interactions with Cristina were perfectly balanced for optimum drama, never together and never apart for so long that the back-and-forth became frustrating. Viewers could clearly see a softening of the typically hard-edged Cristina, a pleasant change for what had become something of a one-note character."[31]

text: Jennifer Armstrong of Entertainment Weekly also praised the pairing, especially in "Elevator Love Letter", saying: "As good as they've been at amping up the romance crackling between Owen and Cristina, Kevin McKidd and Sandra Oh brought the Emmy consideration tonight from scene 1."[32] She also added: "I loved seeing Cristina at least try to stand by her man."[32] Of Yang and Owen's wedding, Armstrong said: "Glad we made a clean disposal of the Teddy-Owen-Cristina love triangle, though, when he quipped to Teddy, "I heard there's a guy," and she said she was happy for him."[33] She also praised Owen's proposal scene, giving it an "A".[33] Later, she praised their marriage, saying: "I am absolutely loving the stronger-than-ever lady-bond between these two this season. Is it because they're both married now? Just growing up? Whatever, it's the opposite of Blair and Serena's annoyingly fickle frenemy status on Gossip Girl, and I can’t get enough."[34]

text: New York Magazine praised the abortion storyline, saying that the show "was brave enough to do what almost no other series will: show this one particular, totally legal medical procedure on TV" and that the abortion was "the only plausible resolution" for Yang's pregnancy.[13] Tanner Stransky, also of Entertainment Weekly, said of Yang's actions after Owen's affair: "It alternately seems silly and not silly, when you really think about it."[35] Robert Bianco of USA Today praised Yang's storylines in the eighth season, saying: "Their stories are effectively tied into that of a patient whose ability to move forward is complicated by a complex response to a hideous past."[36] HitFix writer Liane Bonin Starr applauded Yang's brief departure from Seattle Grace to Mayo Clinic in the ninth season, which was "interesting" as "it showed us a new side of her—and after so many seasons, that was some welcome insight."[37]

text: The relation between Meredith and Cristina has been acclaimed and been a highlight of the show. Mark Perigard of the Boston Herald considered the friendship to be "the secret core of Grey's". Aisha Harris of Slate called their relation The Best Female Friendship on TV adding that "With those two characters, showrunner Shonda Rhimes and her team of writers created one of the most nuanced and realistic portrayals of female friendship on television."[38] Samantha Highfill of Entertainment Weekly called Cristina and Meredith the best female friends on TV because "they don't try to be". There's nothing fake about them, which is a rarity in how female friends are portrayed on television. She further went on to call them 'soulmates', "And even though they’d never dare get sappy enough to say it, they're soul mates.[39] Margaret Lyons of Vulture (magazine) called the friendship "dream BFF relationship." and the primary focus of the show, "One of the series' calling cards has been its depiction of female friendship and particularly the primacy that friendship enjoyed over romantic relationships."[40]

text: E! at the time of Sandra Oh's exit wrote, "In Grey's Anatomy's 10-year history, the doctor duo has been through a lot together: weddings, deaths, plane crashes, bomb threats, shooting, you name it, they've lived (and danced) through it." and added, "And with the three words, "You're my person." Cristina Yang and Meredith Grey solidified their status as the small screen's best best friends ever."[41]

text: Awards[edit]

text: Oh has received numerous awards and nominations for her portrayal of Yang. In 2005, she was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, which she was nominated for every year until 2009.[42] Also in 2005, she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film at the 10th Satellite Awards.[43] The next year, the cast won the Satellite Award for Best Cast – Television Series.[44] In 2006, Oh won the award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film at the 63rd Golden Globe Awards.[45] In 2006, the cast was nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series,[46] which they won in 2007,[47] and were nominated for again the following year.[48] Also at the 12th Screen Actors Guild Awards, Oh won the award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series.[46] In 2010, Oh was nominated for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series at the 41st NAACP Image Awards,[49] which she was nominated for again in 2012,[50] and in 2011, she was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series at the 42nd NAACP Image Awards.[51] In 2011, Oh was nominated for Favorite TV Drama Actress and Favorite TV Doctor at the 37th People's Choice Awards an award she was nominated again for three years later at the 40th People's Choice Awards and also the subsequent year at the 41st People's Choice Awards. She was also nominated alongside Pompeo for the Favorite TV Gal Pals category.[52]


document_title: List of The Middle characters

question_text: who plays sue's boyfriend matt on the middle

question_tokens: who plays sue 's boyfriend matt on the middle

text: List of The Middle characters

text: The Hecks[edit]

text: Patricia Heaton as Frances "Frankie" Heck (née Spence), wife of Mike and mother of Axl, Sue, and Brick. Frankie is the central character in the show, as her voice is heard narrating at various points in every episode. She is a devoted wife and mother and sees family as the most important thing in her life. Her motto, "You do for family", guides her daily routine, despite the frustrations she encounters with her husband and three kids, as well as her older ailing relatives who often depend on her. Frankie attended college but did not finish. When the family goes on a trip, she always forgets "the blue bag" which has the food in it. She initially works as an under-performing salesperson at Ehlert Motors, a job she took after losing her position as a dentist's receptionist when the office closed. After she loses this job in season 4, Frankie completes dental assisting school and gets a job at a dentist's office near the end of the season.

tag: ul

text: Neil Flynn as Michael "Mike" Heck Jr., Frankie's husband, known for his straightforward manner and lack of emotion. Mike works at the local limestone quarry as the manager. He reached his 25-year work anniversary at the quarry in the season 9 episode "The Crying Game", wherein he was promoted to Regional Manager. Despite his no-nonsense approach to work and family, Mike is a devoted and understanding husband and father who always seems to come through for Frankie and the kids. It has been said on several occasions that Mike's favorite film is Reservoir Dogs and that he only asked Frankie out on a second date because she lied and said she also liked the film. Mike's reclusive, emotionally distant father, "Big Mike" (John Cullum), and Mike's well-meaning but unreliable brother Rusty (Norm Macdonald) both live in Orson. It is revealed in season 8's "Clear and Present Danger" that Mike's mother died of lung cancer at age 42, and his father made him do his homework and go to school the next day instead of allowing Mike time to mourn. Mike loves all sports but is particularly passionate about seeing the Indianapolis Colts play in the Super Bowl. In season 7, he and Rusty start a business in designing disposable diapers with sports team logos on them named "Li'l Rivals", which he sells off in the next season to pay for Sue's college tuition.

text: Charlie McDermott as Axl Redford Heck, the oldest son of Frankie and Mike. Axl is very athletic, and cannot be bothered to wear more than boxer shorts most of the time at home. As the elder brother, he is sarcastic, lazy, narcissistic, and selfish to his siblings. However, he has shown flashes of kindness to his family occasionally and is good at heart, which he shows when he deliberately loses a basketball game in an attempt to win back his ex-girlfriend, Morgan. He is frustrating to Frankie, who wishes he would be more open with her, as he was apparently a very loving "momma's boy" when he was a child, something Frankie seems to want to re-capture. Axl is much more popular and socially outgoing than his siblings, but is not as scholarly as they are. He plays the electric guitar, and it is presumed that he was named after Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose. It is revealed in season 3 that Axl is two years older than Sue as he starts his junior year at high school while Sue starts her freshman year. Mike has said that Axl is his favorite child. He has gone to prom twice with Weird Ashley (Katlin Mastandrea), an outcast at his school, both times accidentally inviting her. Axl gets another girlfriend in season 4 named Cassidy, who tutors him after Sue runs over his foot and breaks it while learning to drive. Axl and Cassidy later break up in "Hallelujah Hoedown". As a running back on his high school football team, he was recruited by a Division II state college in Indiana. After being a star player in high school, Axl was a bench warmer in college, causing him to take his pursuit of a business degree a bit more seriously. Early in season 8, Axl dates and later secretly marries his sweetheart April, mainly as a way to defy his parents, who do not like her. The marriage is quickly annulled after both sets of parents find out. At the end of season 8, he begins dating Sue's roommate Lexie and graduates from college with a bachelor's degree in business. Between seasons 8 and 9, he travelled in Europe with Kenny to promote Kenny's upcoming apps. After briefly working as a school bus driver and at Spudsy's early in season 9, Axl gets his first professional job as a sales rep for a plumbing fixture company in the episode "The 200th". In the series finale, he moves to Denver for a job opportunity, but a flash-forward reveals he eventually comes back to Orson, marries Lexie, and has three boys that behave similar to himself as a teenager.

text: Eden Sher as Sue Sue Heck, socially awkward middle daughter of Frankie and Mike whose genuine nature, bubbly personality, and persistent sunny optimism tend to make her an object of ridicule, especially by her older brother. Despite her best efforts, she is usually unrecognized by teachers and other students, and snubbed by her peers. Her best friends are Carly and Brad. She looks up to reverend Tim-Tom. When she does not know something she goes to kickingitteenstyle.com. When she is lying she will say "and so on and so forth and what have you". Many of her plot lines involve her being overlooked, or trying to organize parties or events and receiving no help. In season 1, she is not pictured in the yearbook despite having her picture taken three times, and she finds her favorite teacher has no memory of her at all. (She is eventually placed in the yearbook, but in the section reserved for students who died, with the caption reading: "In Loving Memory of Sue Heck, Gone Too Soon.") She wears braces on her teeth, which were briefly removed in season 3, but it was determined that they over-corrected her condition. She had them removed at the beginning of season 6, needing only a retainer. She is also left-handed, apparently the only southpaw in her immediate family. She is two years behind Axl in school, graduating high school in the season 6 finale. She is known for trying out for almost everything but never actually getting picked, because she is always terrible. In season 2, she joins the no-cut cross country team by heroically going around the track five times on crutches because she was hit by a deer the day before. She becomes a "wrestlerette" in season 3 (which turns out to be a group of fellow misfits) and dates a wrestler named Matt for a short time. In season 4, she dates Axl's friend Darrin. She is engaged to Darrin for three days in season 6, before deciding she does not want to get married yet and ending their relationship. This marks a rare moment where Sue is not a pushover, explaining her situation to Darrin in an intelligent, articulate, and socially mature manner. The season 3 episode "Leap Year" reveals she was a leap day baby, but then she had her 16th birthday the following season (season 4, episode 17, "Wheels of Pain"). She gets accepted to the same college Axl is attending. He did not want her to go, but Mike and Frankie tell him it is not his decision, and Sue does later accept the offer to attend the college. Her crush on Sean Donahue is revealed in season 8. In season 9, she is a junior in college and is majoring in hotel management. She turns 21 later that season, and Frankie comes to college and they get drunk together. In a flash-forward in the series finale, it is revealed that Sue and Sean broke up and got back together a couple of times before finally being married, with Reverend Tim-Tom officiating.

text: Atticus Shaffer as Brick Heck, youngest of Mike and Frankie's children. He loves to read and has a case of palilalia, which is demonstrated by his repeating words from previous sentences to himself in a whisper. He has trouble lying because he will usually follow it up by whispering, "I'm lying". In season 8, he says he does not whisper when he is lying anymore, but now he farts. In season 1 episode 5, it is revealed that he possesses an eidetic memory. He is smarter than most teenagers, having read Of Mice and Men, a book his elder brother is struggling with at the same time. He also loves the Planet Nowhere book series, which is native to the show, and the real-life Percy Jackson & the Olympians. He has referred to Diary of a Wimpy Kid as "the book that changed my life". He is exceptionally intelligent but easily distracted, leading him to procrastinate on doing his homework assignments and projects (it is loosely implied that he may perhaps have Asperger's syndrome). Brick is a known gephyrophobiac and is fascinated with fonts. Due to his awkwardness, he struggles to make friends. In season 3 he is put in a social skills class with kids like him, one thinks he is a cat, one only eats red food and etcher. In season 2, he befriends an equally awkward boy named Arlo, whom even Brick struggles to deal with. He is five years behind Sue in school, starting the eighth grade in the seventh season. In season 2 episode 7, it is revealed that he was accidentally switched at birth with another baby due to Mike watching a football game and taking home a child that the nurse brought up next to Brick, and he spent a month with that child's family while the other baby was with the Hecks. In season 8, Brick meets the other child, Blake Ferguson, along with the literature-loving Ferguson parents, and discovers that it was likely exposure to them as an infant that led to his appreciation for reading and classical music. While Sue gets overlooked by classmates and teachers, Brick is constantly overlooked by his own family. Frankie and Mike have forgotten his birthday multiple times. In season 8, Brick makes it into the National Honor Society, a first for a Heck family member, but his parents did not know until Nancy Donahue told them. He has a girlfriend named Cindy. In season 9, Brick is a Sophomore at Orson High School. He asks Cindy to the prom, and Frankie invites the former students from the social skills class for a pre-prom party. They became normal, but Brick still has the same quirks. In a flash-forward in the series finale, it is revealed he is married, and is a famous author who writes a popular book series for teens loosely based on his childhood. Though it is not stated who he is married to in the finale, the seventh season episode "Halloween VI: Tick Tock Death" hints that Brick marries and starts a family with Cindy. Brick speaks the last line of dialogue in the series, repeating "the middle" in a whisper.

text: Recurring characters[edit]

text:
Actor

Character

Seasons

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Brock Ciarlelli

Brad Bottig

Recurring

Jen Ray

Nancy Donahue

Recurring

Beau Wirick

Sean Donahue

Recurring

Laura Ann Kesling

Dotty Donahue

Guest

Recurring

Recurring

Guest

Recurring

Brooke Shields

Rita Glossner

Guest

Guest

Guest

Malcolm Foster Smith

Dave

Recurring

John Gammon

Darrin McGrew

Recurring

Blaine Saunders

Carly

Recurring

Guest

Guest

Jeanette Miller

Edie Freehold

Recurring

Brian Doyle-Murray

Mr. Elhert

Recurring

Guest

Recurring

Guest

Guest

Troy Metcalf

Jim

Recurring

Guest

Recurring

Peter Breitmayer

Pete Miller

Recurring

Guest

Guest

Frances Bay

Ginny Freehold

Recurring

Andrew J. Fishman

Zach

Recurring

Guest

Recurirng

Guest

Guest

Krista Braun

Mrs. Tompkins

Recurring

Guest

Alexa Vega

Morgan

Recurring

Paul Hipp

Reverend Tim-Tom

Guest

Recurring

Guest

Recurring

Guest

Guest

Recurring

Marsha Mason

Pat Spence

Guest

Recurirng

Guest

Recurring

John Cullum

Michael Heck Sr.

Guest

Recurring

Guest

Guest

Pat Finn

Bill Norwood

Recurring

Recurring

Guest

Recurring

Julie Brown

Paula Norwood

Recurring

Guest

Recurring

Greg Cipes

Chuck

Guest

Guest

Guest

Nick Shafer

Arlo

Recurring

Guest

Katlin Mastandrea

Ashley Wyman

Guest

Recurring

Guest

Recurring

Guest

Norm Macdonald

Rusty Heck

Guest

Recurring

Guest

Sean O'Bryan

Ron Donahue

Guest

Recurring

Guest

Recurring

Jerry Van Dyke

Tag Spence

Guest

Recurirng

Kayla Madison

Shelly Donahue

Guest

Recurring

Grace Bannon

Ruth

Recurring

Guest

Recurring

Jessica Marie Garcia

Becky

Recurring

Guest

Brittany Ross

Courtney

Recurring

Guest

Guest

Natalie Lander

Debbie

Recurring

Guest

Guest

Christopher Darga

Mr. Farrar

Recurring

Guest

Moises Arias

Matt

Recurring

Guest

Jack McBrayer

Dr. Ted Goodwin

Recurring

Recurring

Guest

Galadriel Stineman

Cassidy Finch

Recurring

Guest

Dave Foley

Dr. Fulton

Recurring

Guest

Guest

French Stewart

Principal Cameron

Recurring

Guest

Guest

Tommy Bechtold

Kenny

Recurring

Guest

Alphonso McAuley

Hutch

Recurring

Guest

Brooke Dillman

Tink Babbit

Guest

Recurring

Guest

Casey Burke

Cindy Hornberger

Recurring

Gia Mantegna

Devin Levin

Recurring

Guest

David Hull

Logan

Guest

Recurring

Jovan Armand

Troy

Recurring

Daniela Bobadilla

Lexie Brooks[2]

Recurring

Will Green

Jeremy

Recurring

Keaton Savage

Tyler

Guest

Recurring

Greer Grammer

April

Recurring

Lisa Rinna

Tammy Brooks

Guest

tag: table

text: Extended family[edit]

text:
Edie and Ginny Freehold (Jeanette Miller and Frances Bay, introduced in season 1) are Frankie's elderly aunts who are heavy smokers and drinkers. Aunt Edie used to work in Mike's quarry as the bookkeeper, often showing signs of memory loss. One such occasion is when they went to a funeral for Edie and Ginny's brother, and Aunt Edie thought it was her birthday. Aunt Ginny uses a wheelchair and rarely talks. They have a sickly Basset Hound named Doris. On many occasions, Frankie is forced to care for Doris unexpectedly; on one such occasion, Doris gave birth to puppies. In the season 3 episode "The Map", which premiered in early 2012, Aunt Ginny dies. (The actress who portrayed her, Frances Bay, had died in real life.) Brick's elderly friend, Grandma Dot, then moves in with Edie to take care of her. In the early 2015 episode, "Hecks on a Train", Aunt Edie has just died (actress Jeanette Miller had retired from acting) and the Hecks are left to care for Doris.
Michael "Big Mike" Heck Sr. (John Cullum, introduced in season 1) is Mike's reclusive, man-of-few-words father, who is a widower. He appears to be an unloving, uncaring parent, but this is primarily because he simply does not want to be a "bother" for either of his sons. He is also depicted as a hoarder. In season 6, Big Mike and Axl fixed the Hecks' kitchen sink, which was a rare bonding experience for the two of them. In season 8 it is revealed that he sent Mike Jr. to school the day after his mother died, not allowing him time to grieve.
Orville "Rusty" Heck (Norm Macdonald, introduced in season 2) is Mike's unreliable, silly brother. He often makes up excuses why he cannot be anywhere or do anything Mike asks him to do. He once took Brick out of school to bowl and to teach him how to drive, even though he was not old enough or ready. It is revealed in the season 3 finale that his real first name is Orville. In the season 3 finale the Hecks get an invitation to his wedding but it says the wedding is happening at their house. Rusty marries a woman called Marlene, but in season 5 when Marlene invites herself to Thanksgiving at the Hecks' house, Rusty tells them that they got a divorce because she slept with his best friend. Rusty appears later in season 5 and is homeless (again). He ends up moving in with the Hecks, and accompanies Mike and Brick to Brick's spelling bee in Chicago, where Rusty makes a deal with Brick to lose, allowing Rusty to win some money on a bet he made. In season 7, Rusty comes up with a business idea that Mike shockingly thinks might work, and the two start a side business together.
Pat Spence (Marsha Mason, introduced in season 1) is Frankie's mother. Pat appeared at least once in all of the first seven seasons. Her first appearance was in season 1 episode 22 ("Mother's Day"). Her latest appearance was in the season 9 episode "The Setup".
Tag Spence (Jerry Van Dyke, introduced in season 2) is Frankie's father. Tag is a schmoozer and always talks to Mike endlessly, which Mike finds very uncomfortable and annoying. In season 4 Tag calls Mike to meet up at a Stuckey's restaurant, to have man-to-man chats every Sunday.  After a couple of meetings, Mike decides he just cannot possibly stand to do it any longer, so he suggests that Tag should try chatting with people on Facebook. Tag's final appearance was in season 6, episode 21 ("Two of a Kind").  The episode reveals a longstanding feud between Tag and his brother Dutch (played by Jerry Van Dyke's real-life brother Dick Van Dyke), which is mostly fueled by Tag's jealousy, and Mike and Frankie end up trying to resolve it.

text: Co-workers[edit]

text:
Bob Weaver (Chris Kattan, introduced in season 1) is Frankie's co-worker and friend at Ehlert Motors. He is depicted as a lonely, insecure man who lives with his mother and does not seem to have any friends. Thus, he tends to insert himself into the Hecks' family life whenever he can. Bob was credited as a main character in the first two seasons, but the role was significantly reduced after Frankie was fired from Ehlert Motors. He was a recurring character in season 3, and has since made two other appearances (the most recent in season 5, when Frankie rushes out to her dental office job but accidentally goes to Ehlert Motors). Bob and Mike once moonlighted together delivering Little Betty snack cakes to stores.
Don Ehlert (Brian Doyle-Murray, introduced in season 1) is the racist and misogynistic owner of the car dealership where Frankie used to work, and where Bob presumably still works. Frankie and Bob constantly worry that he is going to fire them. Ehlert's wife left him when he chose work over her, and Frankie was first sympathetic but later turned angry. He often drinks at work. Elhert, like Mike, likes sports. As with Bob, appearances by the Mr. Ehlert character were significantly reduced after Frankie was fired from Ehlert Motors.
Pete Miller (Peter Breitmayer, introduced in season 1) is Ehlert Motors' best salesman and star employee, and he is not afraid to tell everyone about it. Pete often brags about his success at Frankie's and Bob's expense, putting them down about how little they contribute to the business while developing a "teacher's pet" relationship with Mr. Ehlert.
Dave (Malcolm Foster Smith, introduced in season 1) is an employee at the quarry Mike manages. He has appeared in at least two episodes every season.
Jim (Troy Metcalf, introduced in season 1) is an employee at the quarry Mike manages. He has appeared in at least one episode every season.
Chuck (Greg Cipes, introduced in season 2) is a younger employee at the quarry Mike manages. He once babysat for Brick, giving him questionable advice on a school project. He often speaks in the third person, referring to himself as "The Chuck".
Dr. Ted Goodwin (Jack McBrayer, introduced in season 4) is the dentist who hires Frankie as a hygienist in season 4. He has few friends, and Frankie is forced to spend time with him after work in "The Jump" (season 5).[3] Ted's dental office is bought out by the conglomerate Smile Sensations in season 7. Frankie does not like the changes, but continues to work there.
Edwin (Jimmy Bellinger, introduced in season 5) is the young manager at Spudsy's, a baked potato fast food restaurant in a mall food court where Sue worked steadily since season 5.

text: Neighbors[edit]

text:
Nancy Donahue (Jen Ray) is the Hecks' neighbor and president of the booster club. The Donahues (Nancy, her husband Ron, their son Sean, and their two daughters) are portrayed as the idyllic family Frankie yearns to be like. From season 5, episode 4 ("The 100th"), Nancy and Frankie's friendship has waned a little, mainly because Nancy overheard Mike and Frankie talking about her. In season 7, episode 18 ("A Very Donahue Vacation") Nancy's daughter, Shelly hears Frankie talking about Nancy and tells her. However, Nancy forgives Frankie and they remain good friends.
Ron Donahue (Sean O'Bryan, introduced in season 2) is Nancy's husband and the father of Sean, Dotty and Shelly. He appears to be very involved in his kids' lives.
Sean Donahue
Rita Glossner (Brooke Shields) is the Hecks' uncouth and troubled neighbor. She is the single parent of four rambunctious boys, as she had kicked the boys' father out of the house some years ago. The Glossners appear to be the only family on the block that is worse off financially than the Hecks. Rita often shows her disdain for the Hecks' higher status, even calling Frankie a "one-percenter" in the season 7 episode, "Halloween VI: Tick Tock Death". Only three Glossner boys are introduced at first, but the season 8 episode "Trip and Fall" reveals that Rita has a fourth son, Rodney, her oldest child who has just made her a grandmother. In the season 9 episode "Hecks vs. Glossners: The Final Battle", Rita's children are sent to juvenile detention. After her children are gone, it brings out the nicer side of Rita.
Derrick Glossner (David Chandler), Wade Glossner (Parker Bolek), and "Diaper" Glossner (Gibson Bobby Sjobeck) (all introduced in season 1) make up the dreaded Glossner boys, Rita's children. They are neighborhood bullies who used to terrorize Sue and Brick. In the first season, Sue and Carly attempt to fight the two older Glossner boys via a dance routine set to "Kung Fu Fighting". In the fifth season, Derrick reveals he has a crush on Sue and unexpectedly kisses her multiple times. Despite describing her as a "rich girl" with "one dad and two different kinds of chips" (and thus out of his league), he vows to better himself and come back for her someday. In the season 9 episode "Hecks vs. Glossners: The Final Battle", Derrick proclaims he has kept his promise by getting a part-time job at a tattoo parlor that pays him $50 a week. Sue tells him she is in love with someone else (Sean Donahue), prompting Derrick to call her a "cheater".
Paula Norwood (Julie Brown, introduced in season 2) is another of the Hecks' neighbors. She serves as somewhat of a counterpoint to the idyllic Nancy Donahue in that her life and family (including husband Bill) is depicted as being similar to Frankie's, having a lot of the same issues.
Bill Norwood (Pat Finn, introduced in season 2) is the Hecks' neighbor and Paula's husband who frequently embarrasses her. Bill tends to try too hard to convince Mike he's his friend, to the point of buying Mike expensive sunglasses for Christmas, even though the two had never agreed to exchange gifts. Bill reveals in the season 9 episode "The 200th" that he and Paula are separated. In the season 9 episode "Hecks vs. Glossners: The Final Battle", Bill meets a female police officer and the two agree to go on a date. They are shown to be still together in the series finale.
Dierdre Peterson (Emily Rutherfurd, introduced in season 7) is the Hecks' new next-door neighbor. She has three rambunctious, noisy children, plus a new baby.

text: Friends and classmates[edit]

text:
Sean Donahue (Beau Wirick) is one of Axl's best friends, teammate on the high school football team, and neighbor Nancy Donahue's only son. He is helpful, polite, and friendly, as well as a straight-A student, which makes him outwardly the opposite of Axl; that said, he always supports everything Axl does. In season 2, Sue develops a crush on Sean, but eventually ends the one-way relationship. In season 5, Sean came back from college to take Sue to prom upon learning that she had no date, but by the time he arrived, Sue had made plans to go with Darrin. Similarly, he often makes the several hour drive home from Notre Dame (at the request of his mother) to help the Hecks whenever there is a crisis, only to find the crisis resolved by the time he gets there. It was revealed in the season 7 episode "Hecks at a Movie" that his and Axl's respective first kisses were inadvertently with one another in a dark closet, something they have vowed to never speak of again. Also in season 7, Sean has taken on a "hippie" persona and has become a vegetarian (much to Nancy's embarrassment). By season 8, Sean has reverted by to a more clean-cut look. The events of season 8 reveal that Sean and Sue have a mutual affection, but neither person is yet aware of the other's feelings. In the season 9 episode "The Christmas Miracle", Sue and Sean are talking when they eventually realize they both have very strong feelings for each other and they passionately kiss. However, obstacles continue to arise that keep the two from being together, and they never officially form a couple. Sean announces he will be living in Ghana all summer for work, much disappointing Sue who had growing feelings for him. In the series finale, the two finally profess their love for each other, and a flash-forward reveals they eventually marry after breaking up a couple of times.
Darrin McGrew (John Gammon, seasons 1-6) is Axl's other best friend (along with Sean Donahue) and teammate. Darrin is the most passive and simple of Axl's friends, often landing himself, Sean, and Axl in problematic situations. In season 3, he takes Sue to the prom because of her "sunny disposition" and explained to Axl that he (Darrin) just wanted to go with someone and dance. In season 4, Darrin takes Sue to a Valentine's Day dance after her date cancels; and when tidying up in the hall after the dance they share a kiss. Later Darrin confides that he wants to continue dating Sue, which angers Axl. However, near the end of season 4, Sue breaks up with him after he accidentally punched her in the face while she was trying to break up a fight between him and Axl. After high school, Darrin enrolls in a heating and air conditioning repair school. In season 5, Sue feels like the breakup was a mistake and realizes that they only broke up because Axl was being so weird about it. With Axl having gone off to college, Sue gains a renewed interest in Darrin until she sees that he has a new girlfriend (Angel). Darrin later decides that his current girlfriend is too high-maintenance and he brings flowers to Sue, only to see her being kissed by Derrick Glossner. Despite a series of misunderstandings, the two ultimately reconnect at Sue's prom in season 5, and become a couple again. He proposes to Sue in the 6th season, and under pressure, she accepts. (In this episode, you see Darrin's mom for the first time and Darrin's last name is revealed to be McGrew, after Axl jokes that Sue's married name would be Sue Sue McGrew.) After realizing she does not want to be married yet, Sue breaks off the engagement with him three days later. Darrin only has one more appearance after that.
Brad Bottig (Brock Ciarlelli) is Sue's flamboyant, theater-loving, tap dancing and slightly camp ex-boyfriend, who is on the high school wrestling team. They date during Thanksgiving (season 1), but soon break up. Mike and Frankie assume the breakup was the result of Sue learning that Brad is gay, but Sue claims it is because she found out Brad has a smoking habit. Brad and Sue remain good friends despite their breakup as boyfriend-girlfriend, and she remains seemingly unaware of his obvious, if stereotypical, homosexual behavior. From season 5 onwards, Brad seems to be Sue's closest friend. In season 7, Brad prepares to tell Sue a secret (in which he is about to come out as gay), to which she responds that she knows, and she shows him love and support. In season 8, Brad transfers to East Indiana State, saying he felt dwarfed as a student at NYU.
Carly (Blaine Saunders, seasons 1-6, 9) is Sue's best female friend. She began in season 1 as a geeky character, wearing glasses and braces. Her braces were removed mid-season 1, and she became more popular as a result. Sue seems to be jealous, if only subconsciously, and wears makeup which her family finds garish. From season 2 onwards, Carly has reverted to a more geeky look. After making multiple appearances in seasons 1–4, Carly only made one appearance in season 5 (episode 14, "The Award") and one appearance in season 6 (episode 11, "A Quarry Story"). In a season 9 episode ("New Year's Revelations"), Carly attends the Hecks' New Year's Eve party, where it is revealed that she has a baby (and it is implied that she is a single mother).
Zack (Andrew J. Fishman, introduced in season 1) is Brick's friend from the socially challenged class. He has a tendency to behave like a cat, meowing and wearing oven mitts. After season 4, Zack does not appear until making a cameo in the season 9 episode "Great Heckspectations".
Arlo (Nick Shafer, introduced in season 2) is a friend Brick meets during the second season. He has an obsession with keeping everything on a schedule and takes frequent and lengthy bathroom breaks in the episode "Mother's Day II" when he is accompanying the Hecks to Brown County. He does not show up in the third or fourth season, although in "Year of the Hecks", he is mentioned. He makes a cameo appearance in the season 9 episode "Great Heckspectations".
Ashley "Weird Ashley" Wyman (Katlin Mastandrea, introduced in season 2) is Axl's weird classmate who has twice been his accidental date to prom. She is also on Sue's wrestlerette team. She has a keen interest in wizards, although she has never heard of Harry Potter. At their third prom together, Ashley is not Axl's date but dances with him when he's announced as prom king, as Axl and his date Cassidy had broken up only a few moments before the announcement. Axl is known to have a hatred towards her as he still regrets sending a text message about going to a prom with her. In season 5, Ashley invites Sue to hang with her at prom, as they are both there without dates, while Frankie's voice-over chides: "It wouldn't be prom if a Heck wasn't accompanied by Weird Ashley." In season 6, Ashley appears in Axl's dorm building out of nowhere, announcing she has transferred to East Indiana State because of their hotel management program. She tells Devin Levin that Axl was her boyfriend, which Axl of course vehemently denies. During an encounter with Axl in season 8 ("Exes and Ohhhs"), Ashley gets angry with him because he never officially said that he had no romantic interest in her, leading her to believe there was always a chance. In the series finale, Ashley shows up to wish Axl good luck as he leaves for Denver. When Axl asks how she knew he was leaving, Ashley creepily replies she will "always know" what's going on with him.
Ruth (Grace Bannon, introduced in season 3) is a member of Sue's wrestlerette team, depicted as an extreme religious conservative, often referencing "the rapture". Unlike the other wrestlerettes, Ruth wears an ankle-length skirt.
Becky (Jessica Marie Garcia, introduced in season 3) is a rough-and-tumble member of Sue's wrestlerette team.
Charles "Hutch" Hutchinson (Alphonso McAuley, seasons 5-9) is Axl's football teammate, best friend, and eventual roommate at college. Like Axl, Hutch does not get much playing time on the East Indiana State football team. In the season 9 episode "Eyes Wide Open", Axl visits Hutch at his new place in Chicago and finds that Hutch has turned into a responsible adult.
Kenny (Tommy Bechtold, seasons 5-9) is Axl's college roommate who does nothing but play World of Warcraft. He is mostly shown from behind as he sits at his computer. His face was shown briefly at the end of the season 5 episode "The Kiss". In an episode of season 6 ("The Table") Axl and Hutch move out of the dorm and into a rental house, but realize they cannot afford it on their own. They look up Kenny and invite him to be their roommate, too, as he apparently is reliable in paying bills and rent. Kenny speaks on-screen for the first time (and his face is shown again) in the season 7 episode "Halloween VI: Tick Tock Death". The season 8 episode "Pitch Imperfect" reveals that Kenny has developed some apps in between playing games, and has a fairly substantial net worth. Off camera between seasons 8 and 9, Axl accompanies Kenny on a trip through Europe to sell Kenny's apps. In season 9, Kenny marries a girl he met on a train in Amsterdam.
Cynthia "Cindy" Violet Hornberger[citation needed] (Casey Burke, seasons 6-9) is a classmate of Brick's who becomes his pseudo-girlfriend in season 6. Though she stands taller than Brick, she seems as quirky as he is. She always wears a safari hat, her facial expression shows no emotion, and, since she finds Brick's missing shoe in her first appearance, it is heavily implied that the character is named for Cinderella. Cindy is very brief and direct in her communication. She has stated in multiple episodes that her favorite food is shrimp. Cindy's flaky parents are introduced in the season 7 episode "Crushed", when they ask the Hecks for a significant loan to save their house from foreclosure. The Hecks are not able to help, forcing Cindy's family to move in with her grandparents. This seemingly ends her relationship with Brick, until it is shown that her grandparents live only a block away. In season 8's "The Final Final", Brick is elated to learn that Cindy's doctor told her she has likely stopped growing. Cindy and Brick briefly break up early in season 9, but are back together as of the episode "The 200th". Cindy is finally shown without her hat in season 9's "Great Heckspectations", stating her mother forbade her from wearing a hat to the prom. The series finale has a flash-forward about Brick's future career, but does not mention if he stays with Cindy.
Troy (Jovan Armand, introduced in season 7) is Brick's large classmate who initially protects him from school bullies, then later becomes his friend.
Lexie Brooks

text: Axl's love interests[edit]

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Morgan (Alexa Vega, season 1) is Axl's first girlfriend on the series, whom Frankie takes an instant liking to due to her straight-A grades and talent in multiple areas. However, after she breaks Axl's heart more than once, Frankie eventually explodes with anger and throws a beanbag at Morgan during a birthday party.
Courtney and Debbie (Brittany Ross and Natalie Lander, introduced in season 3) are airheaded, think-alike cheerleaders in Axl and Sue's high school who date Axl as one. Because the two are inseparable, Axl struggles to figure out which one is his real girlfriend and which one is just hanging out with the other. He makes a calculated guess that Courtney is his girlfriend and kisses her, which causes both girls to slap him and break up with him. They perpetually overlook Sue, often thinking she is a new exchange student, and later calling her a freshman during her senior year. In season 7, it is revealed that Courtney and Debbie are assistant cheerleading coaches at Orson High, and that they no longer like each other.
Cassidy Finch (Galadriel Stineman, introduced in season 4) is Axl's girlfriend in his senior year of high school. She met Axl when he was trying to boost his grades and needed a tutor. They did not get along very well in their first session, but then Axl kissed her and soon found out she had a boyfriend. She later broke up with her old boyfriend to be with Axl. Late in season 4, Cassidy's ex-boyfriend returns, putting tension between Axl and Cassidy for a while before they come back together. They break up in the episode "Hallelujah Hoedown", after Cassidy reveals she is going away in three weeks for an internship program and that they will be in different colleges come September. They begin speaking again in "The Award" (season 5), after Cassidy leaves an embarrassing message on Axl's voicemail. After a brief reconnection during spring break, Cassidy breaks up with Axl again, saying it is not fair to either of them to pursue a relationship while being 800 miles apart.
Devin Levin (Gia Mantegna, seasons 6-8) is a relative of Frankie's hairdresser who was only an acquaintance of Axl's in the past. In season 6, he notices how she has blossomed and that they share many interests, and they begin dating. The two briefly break up when Devin notices that Axl still has her listed as "Uggo from Idaho" in his cell phone contacts, but they get back together later on. Early in season 7, they break up again, each agreeing they should see other people during their college years.
April (Greer Grammer, season 8) is Axl's love interest, whom he meets offscreen between seasons 7 and 8. April is beautiful and sweet, but not very smart. Frankie immediately tells Axl he can do better, causing a rift between mother and son. Mike initially likes April, but later has a conversation with Axl in which he calls her "dumb as a box of hammers". Defiant, Axl marries April in a civil service. After both sets of parents find out, the marriage is annulled. Axl briefly continues to date his ex-wife, but later breaks up with April in order to pursue Lexie.
Lexie Brooks (Daniela Bobadilla, seasons 7-9) is Sue's college classmate who, like Sue, fails to get accepted by any sororities at the school. She later becomes Sue's dorm mate and best friend. She loves horses, and her family is rich. In the season 8 episode "Hoosier Maid", Lexie realizes she likes Axl, after denying his implications for several weeks. Because Axl is with April, she does not act on her feelings. However, after one date with Sean Donahue, Lexie tells Sue she thinks she wants more of a "bad boy". She ultimately reveals to Sue that she really really likes Axl in the season 8 episode "Swing and a Miss". Axl returns her feelings by kissing her in "The Par-Tay". They date in secret in "The Confirmation" and then by the end of the episode, their relationship is public knowledge. In "The Final Final", they're shown to be happily together. They said their first "I Love You's" in "Mommapalooza". In this same episode, Lexie is annoyed that Axl will not let her spend frivolously on their dates, only to later learn that her parents cut her off to teach her responsibility. In season 9's "Great Heckspectations", Lexie is shown to be working as a waitress at a steak restaurant, apparently her first-ever job. In the future, she and Axl get married and have three boys that behave similar to himself as a teenager and a 4th child on the way together.

text: Sue's love interests[edit]

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Brad Bottig
Matt (Moisés Arias, introduced in season 3) is a boy on the wrestling team at Orson High who likes Sue; he becomes Sue's first real boyfriend but eventually ends the relationship after moving away and falling for another girl. In season 4, Matt asks Sue to the school Valentine's Day dance because he broke up with his girlfriend Sherrie. He later calls Sue at the last minute to say that he and Sherrie got back together, and he is no longer taking her to the dance. This paves the way for Darrin to swoop in and save the day for Sue.
Darrin McGrew
Logan (David Hull, introduced in season 6) is a guy from another high school who works as a shirtless model in the Abercrombie & Fitch store at the same mall where Sue works. He asks Sue to her prom after seeing her depressed over breaking up with Darrin, and he later reveals that he likes her. The two later try to connect during a chance encounter at East Indiana State, but Sue had taken Brick along that day, and he gets lost. Finally, Logan and Sue meet at a movie theater, where Logan says he is majoring in Religious Studies and plans to be a priest, disappointing Sue.
Jeremy (Will Green, introduced in season 7) is a hardcore environmentalist and anti-capitalist whom Sue first meets when he is chained to a tree on campus. The two briefly date, but Sue breaks up with Jeremy early in season 8.
Tyler (Keaton Savage, season 7) is the boy who drives the safe ride cart on the East Indiana State campus. He becomes Sue's brief love interest in season 8, until she spends most of their first date talking about Sean Donahue.
Aidan (Jackson White, introduced in season 9) delivers food to Lexie and Sue's apartment on the evening when Sean Donahue is supposed to set up Sue with a blind date. In reality, Sean was going to surprise Sue by being her mystery date, but Sue assumes that Aidan is actually whom Sean sent. They go on an accidental date that evening, and Aidan later surprises Sue at the Hecks' New Year's Eve party, where he kisses her at midnight (thwarting Sean's plans to kiss Sue). Aidan is very clumsy and keeps accidentally injuring Sue, causing her to try to break up with him, but Brad begs her not to end the relationship until he has a chance to ask out Aidan's bandmate Luke. By the time Brad and Luke hit it off, Sue realizes how similar she and Aidan are and decides they should stay together, only to break up with him in "Toasted".
Sean Donahue

text: School staff[edit]

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Mrs. Tompkins (Krista Braun, introduced in season 1) is Brick's social skills mentor and guidance counselor.
Mr. Farrar (Christopher Darga, introduced in season 3) is a teacher at Orson High.
Dr. Fulton (Dave Foley, seasons 4-9) is the school therapist. He is an odd character who helps Brick bond with his peers and try to fit in more at school. An insecure man himself, Dr. Fulton is obsessed with his ex-wife Shelly, whom he mentions nearly every time Brick talks to him for "help". In season 8, he tells Brick he is dating a 68-year-old woman named Barbara, whom he prefers to call "Shelly". In season 9's "Thank You for Not Kissing", he tells Mike and Frankie that Shelly took him back, proudly proclaiming his "years of stalking" finally paid off.
Principal Cameron (French Stewart, introduced in season 4) is the principal at Orson High.
Coach Tink Babbitt (Brooke Dillman, introduced in season 5) is a physical education teacher, volleyball coach and detention monitor at Orson High. In the season 8 episode "Swing and a Miss", Mike hires Tink as a part-time assistant at the quarry, solely for the purpose of making her eligible to play on the quarry's softball team.

text: Miscellaneous characters[edit]

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Reverend Timothy "Tim-Tom" Thomas (Paul Hipp, introduced in season 1), is a youth minister at the Hecks' church whom Sue deeply admires. He surprised Sue by remembering her name after only having met her once, and always seems to appear just when Sue needs help the most. He is known for frequently playing his acoustic guitar and making almost anything into a song. He plays guitar with Axl on one occasion when encouraging him to do the right thing. In season 5, Reverend Tim-Tom gets a girlfriend (Reverend Tammy, played by Casey Wilson). Sue takes a disliking to Tammy and is not sure how to tell Reverend Tim-Tom, but Sue changes her mind about Tammy after the two talk. A flash-forward in the series finale reveals that Reverend Tim-Tom officiates the marriage of Sue and Sean.
Reverend Hayver (Dierk Torsek, introduced in season 1) is the pastor at the Hecks' church.

text: Notable guest stars[edit]

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Amy Sedaris as Abby Michaels (season 1)
Betty White as Mrs. Nethercott (season 1)
Doris Roberts as Mrs. Rinsky (season 2)
Ray Romano as Nicky Kohlbrenner (season 3)
Molly Shannon as Frankie's sister Janet (seasons 3 and 4)
Ed Asner as Ben (season 3)
Richard Gant as Pastor Watkins (season 3)
Whoopi Goldberg as Ms. Jane Marsh (season 3)
David Koechner as Jeff Webber (season 4)
Carolyn Hennesy as Connie McDonald (season 4)
Marion Ross as Ms. Dunlap (season 4)
Rachel Dratch as Principal Barker (season 5)
Keegan-Michael Key as Reverend Deveaux (season 5)
Casey Wilson as Reverend Tammy (season 5)
Nicole Sullivan as Vicki (season 5)
Mindy Cohn as Kimberly (season 5)
Richard Kind as Dr. Niller (season 6)
Kirstie Alley as Pam Staggs (season 6)
Dick Van Dyke as Paul "Dutch" Spence (season 6)
Faith Ford as Sheila (season 7)
Cheryl Hines as Dr. Sommer Samuelson (season 7)
Josh Cooke as Nick Grant (season 7)
Alan Ruck as Jack Kershaw (season 7)
Monica Horan as Anna Ferguson (season 8)
Alan Rachins as Mort (season 8)
Lisa Rinna as Tammy Brooks (season 9)
Gregory Harrison as Bennett Brooks (season 9)